BUSINESS

Meituan CEO Urges Focused Global Expansion, Warns Against ‘Blind’ Push

Published: Mar. 14, 2026 4:31 a.m. GMT+8

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Keeta launched in Hong Kong in May 2023 and has since become the city’s largest food‑delivery platform by market share. Photo: VCG

Meituan CEO Wang Xing on Friday reaffirmed the company’s commitment to international expansion, but said the push will focus on its core instant‑retail business and avoid what he called “blind expansion,” particularly in its new Brazilian market.

Speaking at a management meeting, Wang said the company’s confidence in its global strategy “is firm and its resolve is clear.” However, he warned against pursuing a broad, multipronged overseas approach, saying Meituan should concentrate on its main business of instant retail.

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Meituan will focus its international expansion on instant retail, especially in Brazil, avoiding "blind expansion" amid early obstacles and tough local competition.
The company faces mounting losses, expecting a 2025 net loss of up to 24.3 billion yuan after profitability in 2024, with shares down over 33% in 2025 and another 20% this year.
Meituan is investing in AI, emphasizing logistics (drones, autonomous vehicles) and data as key to future growth.

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Who’s Who

Meituan: Meituan is a Chinese company committed to international expansion, focusing on core instant-retail. CEO Wang Xing oversees overseas operations, despite setbacks in Brazil. Facing intense competition in China, Meituan pursues global growth, with its food delivery brand Keeta expanding to Hong Kong, the Middle East, and Latin America. The company is also investing in AI, focusing on logistics and real-world data for model training.

JD.com Inc.: JD.com Inc. entered the food-delivery business in February 2025, initiating a price war in the Chinese mainland. This competitive move significantly impacted Meituan's profitability, forcing Meituan to offer subsidies and contributing to an expected net loss for 2025.

Alibaba Group Holding Ltd.: Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. launched a 50 billion yuan ($7.2 billion) subsidy program for its instant-retail service, Taobao Flash Purchase, in July 2025. This move intensified the competition in the Chinese mainland's food delivery sector, forcing Meituan to respond with its own subsidies. This "price war" significantly impacted Meituan's finances.

Taobao Flash Purchase: Taobao Flash Purchase is an instant-retail service offered by Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. In July 2025, Alibaba announced a 50 billion yuan ($7.2 billion) subsidy program for Taobao Flash Purchase. This move intensified a price war in the instant-retail market, forcing competitors like Meituan to respond with their own subsidies.

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